Even legends have off days and for Virat Kohli, this week brought one of those rare, humbling moments that remind fans cricket is as unpredictable as life itself.
In the second ODI against Australia in Adelaide, the Indian batting maestro was dismissed for a four-ball duck, his second in a row, marking a surprising first in his otherwise glittering career.
Kohli’s dismissal by debutant Xavier Bartlett, trapped LBW while attempting a flick, wasn’t just a blip on the scorecard. It was his 18th ODI duck and 40th overall across formats, drawing him level with his former Delhi teammate Ishant Sharma on the list of Indians with the most ducks. Only Zaheer Khan (43) sits above them, an unusual leaderboard no batter wants to top.
What makes this so striking is that Kohli, with his unmatched consistency, had never recorded back-to-back ODI ducks before. Until now. Fans who once cheered his heroic knocks at the very same Adelaide Oval, like his 107 against Pakistan in 2015 or 104 against Australia in 2019 were left stunned as their hero walked back early once again.
Across formats, Kohli now ranks third among Indians with the most ducks, and in ODIs, he’s climbed to joint-third just behind Sachin Tendulkar (20) and Javagal Srinath (19).
Yet, despite this unwanted milestone, his career numbers remain jaw-dropping: a 57.41 ODI average, 51 centuries, and 74 fifties, numbers most players could only dream of.
So yes, Kohli may have stumbled but legends aren’t defined by their lows; they’re remembered for how they rise again. And if cricket has taught us anything, it’s that a Virat comeback is never too far away.